Sermons – St Bart's Anglican Church

This is the fifth sermon in our seven week series on Isaiah. This sermon is “The Spirit of the Lord”. Preacher: Amy Norman. Bible Readings: Isaiah 11

Show Notes

Sermon & Small Group Resources

This is the sixth sermon in our seven week series on Isaiah. This sermon is “In Whom Shall We Trust?”. Preacher: The Rev’d Adam Lowe. Bible Readings: Isaiah 36-39

DOWNLOAD the Small Group Questions, Going Deeper, and Sermon Transcript (PDF).

Next Steps this Week

BIBLE READING: Isaiah 36:5-19

You say you have counsel and might for war – but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, ‘We are depending on the Lord our God’– isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?

‘“Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses – if you can put riders on them! How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Furthermore, have I come to attack and destroy this land without the Lord? The Lord himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.”’

Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, ‘Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.’

But the commander replied, ‘Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall – who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?’

Then the commander stood and called out in Hebrew, ‘Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! This is what the king says: do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, “The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

‘Do not listen to Hezekiah. This is what the king of Assyria says: make peace with me and come out to me. Then each of you will eat fruit from your own vine and fig-tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own – a land of corn and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

‘Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, “The Lord will deliver us.” Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand?

SMALL GROUP QUESTIONS

Download in PDF format.

CONNECT: Consider one area of your life where there is conflict. How will Jesusʼ present and future reign resolve it? How can that future impinge on that conflict today?

WARM-UP

  1. Have you had a situation in which you really had to trust someone because things were out of your control? How did that make you feel?

  2. What are the things (or people) that most compete for our trust and allegiance today? How big of a challenge do you think this is for Christians?

Read Isaiah 36:1-12

  1. At the beginning of chapter 36, how bad is the situation for Godʼs people? What has happened already?

  2. What were the three possible grounds for Hezekiahʼs confidence to defeat the enemy? Were any of

    these things a good basis to be confident? Why or why not?

  3. How did the enemy seek to systematically erode that confidence—particularly his trust in the Lord?

  4. Do you think the enemy still uses similar tactics today to erode our confidence in the Lord? Have you ever experienced or witnessed the pattern of dissatisfaction—doubt—driing play out?

  5. Do you think ʻdefectingʼ or ʻdriingʼ from God usually happens dramatically or incrementally? What do you think are the warning signs of slowly driing away from the Lord?

Read Isaiah 37:14-20; 36-38

  1. How does Hezekiah respond to the imminent threat and attempt to erode his trust in the Lord?

  2. What is the content of Hezekiahʼs prayer mostly concerned with? Why is this helpful?

  3. What helps you personally to bring your doubts to God as an expression of dependence on him?

  4. Did Hezekiah have cause to doubt Godʼs character or promise? Why or why not? Do we?

  5. Why can we be confident that Jesus is worthy of our trust and a solid basis for confidence?

  6. How can we demonstrate that trust day-to-day? When do you find it most easy or hard?

  7. What does God ultimately do with the Assyrians? If the Babylonians were going to conquer Jerusalem anyway, how would this victory help those in exile stand firm in the promises of God?

APPLY: When you are facing challenge, what most helps you to stand firm and depend on the Lord?

PRAYER

Gracious Father, thank you that because of Jesus that we can have every confidence that you will indeed bring your promises to completion. Please help us to be quick to come to you and trust in your faithfulness. Amen.

GOING DEEPER

On Your Frontline This Week: Who are you going to invite to CAROLS? Of all events in the year - this is the simplest invite! Maybe you could invite a neighbour, family friend, colleague or someone youʼve just met.


Listen, Watch, and Read:

SERIES Resources:

Grow as Families

Each week St Bart’s Kids and CHARGE Youth provides resources for you to use at home. Join the livestream and then spend 30 minutes to work through these together.

Families: Read, Chat, Do, and Pray

High School: CHARGE Discussion Questions

Kids’ Talk: Watch the Kids’ Talk

eBook: Watch the eBook

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